RECENTLY at the European Championship round of 16 – a conflict story from everyday life

Tuesday, July 2, 9:00 p.m. The European Championship round of 16 match between Austria and Turkey. Millions of people across the world sit in their seats, full of anticipation. On the sofa, at a public viewing, in the hospital, or in the hotel lobby. A game—or rather, a coach (a German one at that)—suddenly unites millions of people, cultures, religions, and generations. All in complete harmony. In this moment. Only within me, a conflict is growing ever stronger. A conflict that is detached from the result of this game. A conflict that goes far beyond it.

Monika Edlinger: "What contribution can I make to lead, coach, and shape myself, my environment, teams, and companies?"

Let's take a step back in time. I wouldn't describe myself as a football fan. That could already be a conflict for some. Not for me and those around me. I follow the European Football Championship closely. I usually know the score, who's playing when, and I'm interested in my friends' betting results. I'm excited for and with Austria. I hadn't followed a single game closely up until then. But then I read the article in the Standard newspaper "The Dream Catcher - With Ralf Rangnick as coach, the euphoria is back in Austria's national team." And suddenly, my ears prick up.

I read all over the media about how Rangnick coaches, trains, and shapes the team. How he—a single person—created arguably the strongest unit at the European Championships. Suddenly, the Austrian national team was capable of anything. The players were the same. But the performance, the team spirit, and the continuous development were completely different. And suddenly, I became a football fan. Because this coach made so many things clear to us. And there was this conflict within me.

I sit in front of the television, completely enthralled, and ask myself: Why isn't it possible to form such a team from every group? And I don't just mean sports, but leadership teams, divisions, departments, and project teams (the ultimate discipline for team development), and of course, school classes and family structures. Why isn't it possible for us to integrate everything that Rangnick presents so clearly into our everyday lives? Why can't we learn from him step by step? He is the epitome of the perfect leader, trainer, coach, and mentor. The results speak for themselves.

The way he deals with (perceived) defeats and successes. How his team reacts to a goal after 57 seconds. No shock, no despair, but professional football. How they mourn. How they celebrate. How briefly, or how long. Why is it not possible for us to experience all of this in our teams? Why do companies (or schools and families) place little or no value on forming teams?

I have managed many large-scale projects, but not once was there a budget or time for team development. Why do companies not attach importance to achieving exactly what Rangnick presents to us? Unity. Why do companies believe that all sorts of working models will solve all problems? They don't, as we all know. Because what solves problems are strong teams. Strong units. And what's even worse, why do we deny individuals this development?! This joy. This enthusiasm. The successes that result from it. For each individual, the team, and the company. This development that is only possible through good leadership, coaching, and mediation. But where do we start and where do we stop?

And that's where the next conflict arises within me. What do my own professional and personal teams look like?

Am I fully in my energy? More so every day.

Can I grow in a way that's good for me? There's still more to it.

Is someone keeping me small? Finally, not anymore.

Does the people around me believe in me? More than ever before.

Are we growing together? Not equally.

Do we strengthen each other? Not always.

Are we becoming one? We are at the beginning.

Suddenly, I find myself taking the time during the game to examine these aspects more closely. And then I ask myself, what are my next steps? What contribution can I make to lead, coach, and shape myself, my environment, teams, and companies? And then I see a sea of possibilities. A light at the end of these insights. And the conflict within me transforms into joy, hope, and trust.

And yet a sense of despair remains. Namely, that I wasn't able to fully enjoy this game. Because my mind had chosen its own agenda. I feel like I didn't appreciate this game sufficiently. And later, I hear and read about the disappointment of Mr. and Mrs. Austrians because of the (supposed) failure. And immediately, I take the team's side. Because they've become so sensationally good in such a short time. And because, in my opinion, this is about more than 'just' this game. It's about the team's amazing development, the coach's role modeling, and the unity that suddenly extends far beyond the football field, across borders, religions, and generations.

What do you contribute to creating unity? Are you consciously aware of these conflicts? What role do you play in this? How do you find solutions?

Conflict Barometer

The Conflict Barometer is a non-scientific attempt to assess conflict situations. Depending on the severity, up to three sticks of dynamite or peace doves can be awarded.

People involved:	🧨🧨
Escalation:	🧨
Relevance:	🧨🧨🧨
Possible empathy:	🕊🕊🕊️
Solution options:	🕊🕊🕊
Achievable compromise:	🕊

Author: Monika Edlinger, MBA

Management consultant, trainer, systemic coach and lecturer, as well as life and social counselor (iA) for development, innovation and transformation.

After 20 years in the corporate world, she has been running her own company since 2019 and loves leading and supporting people, teams and organizations in their development.

m.edlinger@coaching-1010.com I +43 (0) 664 4186361 I www.coaching-1010.com